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Bracket Briefing: Duke-Louisville winner the national title favorite

Welcome to another session of Bracket Briefing, our attempt to provide you with essential information on the Big Dance — highlighting the Florida Gulf Coasts of the college basketball world, and forecasting

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Welcome to another session of Bracket Briefing, our attempt to provide you with essential information on the Big Dance — highlighting the Florida Gulf Coasts of the college basketball world, and forecasting the Wichita State moments before they happen.

The first word: The national championship is a week away. But the two best teams in the bracket are clashing today at Lucas Oil Stadium when No. 1 seed Louisville and No. 2 seed Duke fight for the last spot in the Final Four.

Four things to watch in Duke-Louisville:

Will Louisville's press work? The Cardinals' offense is dictated off a stout defense. It all starts with the pressure. If Duke's seasoned guards can withstand the press, we could witness Louisville's offense suffer.

Can Duke stop Russ Smith? The Louisville standout has been playing like the best team in the country — scoring 31, 27 and 23 points in three NCAA tournament games.

Will Duke's Seth Curry one-up his brother, Steph, Davidson's star player in the 2008 NCAA tournament run? Steph's Cinderella spree ran out in the Elite Eight.

Can Louisville's Pitino get revenge against Coach K after Duke's Christian Laettner famously sunk Kentucky with a buzzer-beater in the last meeting between the two coaches?

— No. 2 Duke vs. No. 1 Louisville, 5:05 p.m. (CBS): Two of the great coaches in college hoops history square off with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The last time they met in a regional final, that whole Christian Laettner shot happened. Louisville's Russ Smith has lit it up with 27 points a game, while Duke's Seth Curry has averaged 24 ppg, looking to reach the Final Four in his senior campaign. It won't get much better than this matchup.

***Star Watch: Louisville's Smith, fresh off a 31-point performance in the Cards' last win over Oregon, takes on another hot-handed player in Duke sharpshooter Curry, who poured in 29 points in the Blue Devils' Sweet 16 victory over Michigan State.

— Michigan 79, Florida 59. A historic shooting performance from guard Nik Stauskas and outstanding interior defense helped Michigan storm out to a 25-8 lead and never look back, eventually fending off Florida's second-half comeback attempt to earn the program's first Final Four bid since 1993.

— Syracuse 55, Marquette 39. The Orange's zone held Marquette to the lowest point total in an Elite Eight game since the NCAA introduced the shot clock in 1986. Michael Carter-Williams stuffed the stat sheet: 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.

— Wichita State 70, Ohio State 66. Wichita State's smothering defense held the Buckeyes to 19-of-61 from the field (5-of-25 from three-point range) and blocked nine shots, six by forward Carl Hall. The Shockers are the fifth team with a No. 9 seed or lower to reach the Final Four.

Shockers join all-time shock list: Ninth-seeded Wichita State earned a trip to the Final Four on Saturday night, upsetting No. 2-seeded Ohio State. Here's a look at the lowest seeds to reach the Final Four since seeding began in the NCAA tournament in 1979.

— 2011: No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth lost in the semifinals— 2006: No. 11 George Mason lost in the semifiinals— 1986: No. 11 LSU lost in the semfinals— 2013: No. 9 seed Wichita State To Be Determined —1979: No. 9 seed Penn lost in the semifinals

"Cinderellas are usually done at this stage," Wichita State coach Marshall said after the thrilling victory. "If you get to this stage, you can win it all." (via USA TODAY Sports)

Outside the Dance: Andy Enfield, coach of Cinderella Florida Gulf Coast and husband to former supermodel Amanda Marcum, is being hotly courted by Southern California, among other schools.